Drown With Me
by When The Tide Comes In
Summary: Some stories are better off left untold. Series of Rikki/Lewis oneshots, each based off a randomly generated word. Rewrite of "Out to Sea."


1. [Regret]

Lewis ghosted his fingers down the slope of Rikki's bare back, his mind anywhere but in the unsettling quiet of his bedroom. He squinted in the darkness, attempting to make out the vague outline of his door for no other reason than to focus on something other than the crippling guilt that was making him sick with self loathing. Lewis knew his affair with Rikki was wrong. Cleo deserved so much better than his unfaithfulness. He knew just how deeply her feelings ran for him. He knew this made him no better than his_ father_ — the thought made him physically ill.

Rikki was lying on his chest, her head a solid weight against his still racing heart. There were few things Lewis liked more than how the weight of her body felt against his. Rikki was running her fingers along his collarbone, slick with perspiration and already beginning to darken and bruise from where she'd kissed and bit. He winced as she pressed down a little too hard, but leant up into the sharp ache anyway. It wasn't a secret to anyone but himself that Lewis was a masochist. Of course, it wasn't any secret that Rikki was too.

Lewis turned his head away from the door so he could bury his nose in Rikki's thoroughly disordered curls — - they were soft against his face and smelt like mango shampoo. He pressed a kiss to her temple, unable to pry the 'I'm Sorry' from the back of his throat. He could just make out the sight of Rikki looking at him, her face a blurred but familiar shape in the darkness. She kissed the side of his mouth and Lewis could've sworn he felt his ribs splinter beneath her delicate hand and impale his heart.

It was easier to communicate that way, through gentle and not-so-gentle touches. Neither of them were very good with words anyway. Lewis always seemed to talk too much, and Rikki almost never got the chance to say enough. They were bad with words, but good with their mouths.

It was raining again, the third night in a row that week.

Lewis was starting to doze off, the sound of the rain and Rikki's even breathing lulling him to sleep. It was one of the few things him and Rikki had in common, their love of the rain — thunderstorms. Rikki came to notice that, whenever a thunderstorm rolled in, Lewis would get this look on his face. She had been at the café, back when it was still The JuiceNet, with Emma and Cleo the first time she ever caught a glimpse of it. It was during a bone chillingly loud crack of thunder that the lights flickered; Lewis beamed, no doubt filled with scientific curiosity. His smile had been almost as bright as the lightning, and it, along with his eyes, held a certain mischievousness that she wasn't used to seeing in him. It was as though he were just as charged full of fire as the storm itself. She knew now that Lewis was.

Rikki knew her dad was going to be pissed when she got home tomorrow, assuming the rain stopped by then. He would be waiting in the kitchen for her when she crept back into the trailer, her clothes disheveled and her makeup worn and smeared. It wasn't hard to tell where she had been. Terry would get over it, though. For now Rikki was content to stay where she was, enjoying the way Lewis's chest rose and fell with each breath he took. It wouldn't be long before he grew restless, though. He would toss and turn and make distressed expressions, occasionally mumbling beneath his breath words Rikki couldn't quite make out. She wanted to ask him on more than one occasion if he had bad dreams, or perhaps bad memories, but always decided against it. If Lewis ever asked about her bad dreams she would probably punch him in the face. Some stories are better off left untold.

By the time dawn broke, Rikki was gone.

Lewis didn't expect her to stay. She almost never did, not unless it was too wet outside for her to walk home, but somehow it still managed to sting when he opened his eyes and found the other side of the bed empty. With a sigh, Lewis rolled over and grabbed his phone from it's place on his nightstand. Before he could check the time his phone lit up in his hands and a picture of Cleo, smiling like the first day they'd met, showed up. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him as his finger hovered over the 'answer' button.

Lewis swallowed the bile in the back of his throat. "Hello?"

"Morning Lewis!" Cleo said. Her voice made his chest tight. "You're still meeting us at Mako today, right? Will needs to know how how much stuff to pack."

"Yeah," He said, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll meet your girls at the café in twenty minutes or so. Sound okay?"

On the other end of the phone, Cleo beamed. "Sounds perfect!"

His phone beeped twice, letting him know the call had ended.

Lewis dragged himself out of bed and pulled on some clothes. He dreaded the day ahead. It was getting harder and harder to look Rikki and Cleo both in the eye, not to mention Zane. Rikki seemed to be avoiding his gaze more often than not these days, too. He hoped, more than anything, they hadn't destroyed their friendship in the process of trying to rid the smoldering ache of loneliness and longing festering within the both of them.

When Lewis got to the café Cleo greeted him with a kiss and an over enthusiastic hug. Behind the two of them, Rikki flashed Lewis a somber, knowing smile. One that said 'we'll figure it out, eventually.'

Lewis had his doubts, but he smiled anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>an:** updated & rewritten — 10/29/2015.


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